Events Management in the “Chinese Century”: widening the international scope of events research

In 2022, IAES board member Dr Mingguang Liu and IAES Chair Dr James Kennell published the introduction to a special section of the journal Event Management examining events management in the “Chinese century”.

The special section responded to geographical, ideological and cultural biases in events research, which has historically concentrated on North America, Western Europe and Australasia. It sought to bring greater attention to scholarship engaging with China and with non-Western perspectives on international political and economic development.

Across eight articles, the collection examined exhibitions, conferences, festivals, film-promotion events, diaspora cultural events and event management education. Its themes included sustainability, marketisation, skills development, career intentions, cultural diplomacy, dramaturgy and diaspora studies.

The introduction argues that China should be understood not simply as a new setting in which established events theories can be applied, but as a source of knowledge from which the international events-studies community can learn. It also highlights the rapid growth of events education and research across China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

This collaboration between Dr Liu and Dr Kennell reflects IAES’s commitment to broadening the international foundations of events studies and connecting scholarship across different research traditions and national contexts.

Read and download Events Management in the “Chinese Century” through the University of Surrey’s open research repository.

Featured image: first page of Liu and Kennell (2022), Event Management, 26(4), 805–812.